Press operating mechanism



Aug. 4, 1931. J. R. OLIVER 1,817,703

PRES S OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. d TQ G ww Rog/01b, cx-QM- W ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 4, 1931. J. R. OLIVER I PRESS OPERATING MECHANISI Filed June 23,1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IN VEN TOR.

W, K k h A TTORNEYJ.

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED st-Ares PA NToFFIcE;

JOHN noenn omvnn, or. MEDEIELD, ivIAssAqHusErrs, AssIeNon To REEOE snonMACHINERY COMPANY, OF, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIONfOE MAINE i'nnss ornnnrme inonnnrslvr f Application filed {June 23,

This invention isa novel press operating mechanism, and relat'e'sgm'o'reespecially to presses for cuttingor punching sheetma'terial, and theprinciples are herein shown applied illustratively tothattype of pressclutch and at the same of the work between operations.

known as a clicker or clicking press adapted especially for dieing outleather. or similar material to produce the constituent parts of variousarticles such as the uppers of boots and shoes.

A prior example of clicking machine is the Reece clicker as shown inPatent 1,228,83l to Schoenky of June 5, 1917, and the present inventionis shown applied to a clicker generally of the type of the prior patent,to which reference may be made for certain details, for example theoperating clutch, not herein fully shown. Ina clicking machine a presseror head overhangs a fiat bed" and is operated by power to descend upon aloose die placed selectively 'upon the leather to cut out the desiredshape, the .presseror head being swinga'b'le laterally into andfromposition above the die so asto. permit inspection With said priorpatent the control pedal might beheld depressedand the down and upoperative movement of-the head might be repeated; This disadvantage wasto some extent avoided by the construction ;'of a clicking press shownin alater patent-to Schoenky.1,295,931 of March 4, 1919 wherein thedepression 0 the'peda'l brought about'the closing of the time'theoperation of a latch, causing the immediate throwing out ofthe of thepower shaft aft-er a single revolution,

- so that the presser head was broughtv down upon the die and lifted andbrought to rest in its raised position.

' The principal object of the present invention is to improve themechanism and thje'operat-ion by which, after the clutch is caused to beclosed, in this case byxa handle positioned upon the presser head, itwill be-:positively openedsand the machine thus brought to rest within asingle rotation of the power sl iaft,=notwithstanding anypossibleoperation of the control handle, thus preventing repetie "tionof cutting strokes. V a

f just the bed with respect clutch and thereby the stoppage 1927. SerialNo. 200,904.

of the present invention will be explained in the hereinafter fol-lowingdescription of an illustrative embodiment thereof or Willbe understoodby those skilled in the art.

other and further objects and advantages To the attainment of therecited objects and V advantages the present invention consists 1n thenovel press andthe novel features of operation, combination,arrangementand detail herein illustrated or described. v I

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 may be considered a left-elevationof a clicking machine or press embodying thepres ent invention,theoperator being supposed-t0 stand at the front of the 1nachine, namelyat the right side of the figure, for manipulation of the leather, the-die,,the presser head. and the clutch controlling mechanism. v c,

I Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a detail portion of Fig. 1. V c

Fig. '3 is a horizontal stantial ly 10D the line 83 of Fig. 1.; j i, t IFig. 4 is a rear elevation taken partly in section'on the line 4-4l ofFig. 1.

section taken sub- Above the supporting legslO is se-, 11 whichconstitutesa frame is'the bed 'orcutting block 12"clam ped and held atthe top of a solid supporting post 13 adjustable vertically by wheellite adto the die and pressen; t

' The swinging presser or head 15 isarra-nged to overhangthe bed, andpreferably this carries at its forward end an operating or controlhandle 16, which is available bothfor the bodily lateral swingmgof thehead to and from its position over the-cutting die and for the operativemerit as will be described. The die 17 is pref downward or cutting moveerablyof the usual kind, placed by inspection on the material for eachcutting operation,

.' The'up and down movements of the presser up and down sliding element18 in the form of a plunger or'p'ost. The post-18 may be 'cylindricaland-"preferably reciprocates up and head, in any. swung postion-thereof, are pref- 2 erably brought about and guided through an butunlike the prior patent, the post 18 does not partake of the rotary orswinging movements of the presser. In other words the post reciprocatesdownwardly and upwardly in each operation and carries the presser head,but the post does not rotate, the presser head being mounted rotatablyon the post to permit the swinging movements of the head.

The post or plunger 18, as usual, is ar ranged at the central rearportion of the machine, behind the cutting bed, and is shown engaged bythe presser through an upper collar or rotary bearing 19 on the pressersurrounding the .post. The presser is shown extended rearwardly behindthe bearing 19 and downwardly at 20 to where it is formed into a lowerrotary bearing 21 also surrounding the post; the presser 15, thebearings 19 and 21, and the extension 20 preferably constituting asingle integral piece of metal.

The weight of the presser and connected parts may be supported through athrust bearing 23 between the upper bearing 19 of the presser and acollar 24 adjustably clamped to the post.

In its upward and downward movements the post is guided by fixed slidebearings 27 and 28 constituting respectively upper and lower rearwardextensions of the main frame 11. The post slides in these heavy rigidbearings. Its normal position is its raised position and its actuationis preferably through power connectionsat the base 4 ofthe machinecomprising a clutch and having connections to the lower end of the postto draw it forcibly downward and thrust it upward to normal position.

Referring to the power connections these may start with a pulley 3Orotated by a constantly running belt and heavy enough to constitute afly wheel. The main or operating shaft 81' of the clicking press isnormally disconnected from the pulley and is shown arranged in a centralposition ext-ending fore and aft near the lower part of the press-Corresponding with said prior patent an eccentric 32 is shown mounted onthe shaft. The lower end of the reciproeating post 18 is shown recessedso as to form a forked end 34 while an eccentric strap and rod 35,engaging the eccentric 32 is engaged also in the recess of the post andsecured there by a cross pin 33, so that the eccentric movements arecommunicated as down and up movements to the post. The main shaft mayrevolve in fixed bearings at 36, the pulley normally turning freely onthe shaft. The rear end of the shaft is shown as carrying a collar orenlargement 40 in which certain of the clutch elements are contained, asmore clearly'disclosed and described in the prior patent. Attached to aninternal clutch dog is an outwardly extending pin 48 which is arrangedto cooperate with a shiftable shoe or cam 49. As seen in Fig. 1 the shoe49 is in its rearward position and has cammed the pin 48 away fromoperative position so as to shift the internal clutch dog from operatingposition, thus leaving the main shaft disconnected and stationary, whilethe'fiy wheel rotates. As explained in the prior patent it is onlynecessary to swing forwardly the cam shoe 49, thus disengaging the pin48 and permitting the engagement 'of the clutch, for a single rotation,the clutch being then disengaged if the cam shoe 49 has in the meanwhilebeenallowed to return to its normal position illustrated, and the shaftstopped.

The cam shoe 49 which controls the driving clutch may be adjustablymounted on a swinging member or arm 50 fulcrumed at 51 on a specialbracket 52 standing rearwardly from the fixed bearing 28. The arm orlever 50 has an upward extension 54- which may be operated, as will bedescribed, for the restoration of the lever to normal position and thethrowing open of the clutch, the extension 54: being positioned, forthis purpose, beneath the lower bearing 21 of the presser head, so thatin its descent this hearing strikes the extension and forces itdownwardly to bring the lever to normal position. A spring 55 isarranged to pull forwardly on the lever arm 50, thus tending to pull thecam shoe 49 away from operative position to allow the clutch to engage.The arm 50 carries a block 50 formed with a notch or shoulder 56 andadjustable up and down on the arm. The shift lever is actuated by thepresser to restore it to operative position rendering the clutchinoperative, namely by reason of the movement of the presser, andpreferably during the downward or striking movement thereof.

The control of the described clutch may be best explained by commencingwith the control handle 16 mounted at the forward end of the presserhead 15.. The handle 16 is interiorly a-pertured to engage slidinglyupon a pin 57 upstanding from the forward end of the presser head. Bythe dotted lines indicating pin and aperture the handle is shown to bein its upper position, ready to be thrown down. It is to be understoodthat the handle is first used to bring the presser head over the die andis then thrown down to cause the operative or cutting movement of thehead. The handle is shown formed with a groove 58 which is engaged by afork 59 attached adjustably toa control lever 60. This lever is showncentrally pivoted through a sleeve 61 in which the lever can beadjusted; The rear end of the control lever 60 is provided with a head62, also adjustable on the lever, and. this head containing a socket toreceive the spherical head of a pin 63 outstanding from the head 64 of adownwardly extending rod 65, the head 64 being ln ed -steelsteletio'nhoth to the "16111 63 end now the pm'tst'o be set se -that theaxis of thev b ll end ocket ooh otl'o'ribetw'eh jt he emittol lever fendthe-rod 'oifici ls w'vith'the xis elf swinging of hepresser namely thecenter line "oiskis-of the post 18,-thus allowin for lateral movements'o f'the hes-d without interfering withthe 'eohttolihovements o? thehandle, the lever 'midthe rod."

These features in connection with the" ar movement and in fact only thehandle "1 6 and the control leverand the parts; rigidly connected withthem swihg leterelly with thepre se'r head. v 1 v The lower end of thelift rod is $110 tvn extending into-s cutaway recess iii-the lower fixedhearing 28, at which point the rod is PfOVlClCl'Wlth a horizontal offsetor'sl'eeve an P n t downward 1 0d '67 fto s second horizontalofi set"68,'best shown iii-Fig. 3, this in turn fleeing Connected with atsw'ihgi'tngl'evef 69 fill-f eru'med at to' et fixedhrabket orTexteji sion of th frame. Thuswhen the handle 16 is thrust down this lifts"theifor'wsrd end of theleVer '69 which swings ttb'out its fill Thismovement of the lever 69 by the both trol hai le mayoontloilthohlutohjets fol l ws. A bell erejnk 'lsfvet' is shown; mountedon th "some 70' a theswin'gihgle er Getht t i-L e fid sfa m 7.2 an Iaidqw idly n 73, both of Lwh'ioh at: certain oohstit ite' s bs'tentiellye; rigid pert 0f the levetfoo, so that when the lever i stmhgu'p;-

the bfle'lldra'nk emits and thus tend 'tohold Both {of theseelementsinjthezposition illu's testes-1, with thehelhere k. arm 72 engaged iiithe notch-56;. 1 It is only necessary to dep'tess theetm 72'en-tlshiftit out of the notch 56 to al low the spring 55 to pull on the with 5 0and thils remove the cafih shoe #9 and permitthe closir goi the clutch,and'this is herein "eff-eeted by the lifting of thefle-vet 69. In

order "to oo'nyey thejm'etion of the lev'fBWto the h ll erenkthereisshew get-hooker finger 7%lgpi voted the 'levor 69 and having itslower r'arwar'cl hook enaetigeged under the 66 which in turn isconnected by 121' p'tirpese t cra i-k consisting of e TeatWdrtllj hellet-silk dewhwerd ermta, se thet theh'ft ihg ofthe lever 69 pi111si1pohthe bell crank, the whole systemswinging as I a unit. A slightnormal clearance town between th hook of the fihgerml- 5* '..he bellorank'arm 7 3, in order to insure tha veset'ting of the arts ates'ubsequent stege. The hooked finger 74 is Y1cbfl'htvll'y"held i-nitsillustrated osition through the tit-=1 of thefihger,pulledclownw'ztrclly 10y e 'spr'in-g 76. This spring they havesubstantial length nd trength mid es arranged serves the double purposeof pi''ssihg the finger toward hor mel positlon a'iid of pullihg'dowh'on the 1ever-69'thus-liditihg the Control handle 16 which hasto he p rs'stl downwardly by the workman 0p-- pesitie'n to thespring-76. 4 l 'It-willhejuhtlefstooolthat assoon as the handle" 16 isthrown down end the lever 69 thus sw-iiT'rg upwardly the bellcrenk arm72 will he thr'o'w'n downwardly; thus qdisengag= t ng the notchsoahdpermitting the/Camshoe 459 to be retreat d; and the clutch engaged;The rotation of the-main shaft thereupon starts, and the post 18endre'ssetheed are drawn downwardly by the eccentric 32. During thedownward movement and before the parts start-upwardly" the followingOperations are perform'eclih a positive manner, lo'e'yofi'cltheoofltfolof the workman; The lower lietthihgm oft he Presser headstrikes and depresses the upward extension '54 f the leV-e rfiO carryingthe 0am shoe 49. This throws the'esm shoe eerwerdly into operativeposition for stopping themain shaft at the eitel of e single rotation.It-=is necessary however to latch the arm 50 in this position otherwiseit would agttih retract-on the silhsequent he hodltetlfiirger 74 is errn'ged to hetle ressetl meshes? t1" presses heed, se es to teleese thehell are 7-3 the spring- 55 thereu on threwihg upw estlly the hell crankarm 72 to tee ge e the notch -56 and lock the ztim 50 d in'ner mezlposition, This maybe fs outste r icli'ng from the f the pestjl'alhi-slug espretf- 1 patete piece 7 having R pper and lower-stems 79 ar dSO'iiise't into' the post As will be c leer fifio'rh 'Figz}l,'the leg'78 'filoes not strike the-hooked 'fii'ige -74 iHit'i l the lztfter partof the deseehd'ihg mevement. {It is so tifnd as to t'leptess the fingeramcl releese the hell-stem: so :t'hat the letter-will be sprung tn'tono'fln'ttl; position to engagethe notch 56 s the lever eo thrust i eerwerclly'through the descentof; the ptesser heath 1 The upward mo'x'ement of the p'resser head and connected shown:

ft -hg' ef thepresser head; I. For this itlu'riirg- 'th'e downwatd mo'vehe more tleer lyexplained; a flhe leverfio is a eliitohi shi ftefg shownnor'tnal :p'o'siti'oh where it has caused the opening of the clutch andthe stoppage of the shaft with the presser and post elevated. Itsshoulder 56 is in the nature of a detent, and is engaged by the arm 72which may be described as the latch of the clutch shifter, the wordlatch used broadly to include any mechanical device which when thrownbrings about the shift of the shifter and when restored locks or holdsthe shifter in its inoperative position against the pull of spring 55.The arm 69 which causes the throw of the latch 72 may be considered asthe operating arm of this lever system, and it may be moved upward inany manner to throw down the latch and as this is the clutch shifterreleasing action the arm may be con sidered as the releaser,or releaselever. The hook or finger 74 between the two arms 69 and 7 2 isrepresentative of any trip or connec tion which conveys the swingingmotion but which may be operated or tripped for operativelydisconnecting the arms, so that the restoration of the latch isbeyond'the interference of the workman. In one aspect the control handle16 is operatively a part of the operating arm 69, as they always movetogether.

There has thus been described a press for cutting or punching sheetmaterial embodying the principles and attaining the objects of thepresent invention. Various matters of operation, combination,arrangement and detail may be modified without departing from theprinciples and therefore the invention is not intended to be limited tosuch mata ters except so far as set forth in the appended claims: i

WVhat is claimed is: 1. In a control mechanism for clicking 0 otherpower presses of the class having a reciprocable post carrying apresser, power means for moving the post down and up comprising aclutch, a clutch shifter for putting the clutch into and out ofoperation for causing the descent and rise of the presser, and having atendency toward, inoperative position wherein it renders the clutchoperative, and control means for the clutch shifter comprising a latchnormally holding the shifter operative and therefore theclutchinoperative, such latch having a tendency toward latchingposition, a releaser for throwing the latchhaving a trip engaging thelatch, and means actuated by the descent or rise of the post forrestoring the shifter to operative position and for throwing the trip topermit the latch to re-engage the-shiften 2. In a control mechanism forpower presses of the class having a reciprocable post carrying apresser, power means forv moving the post down and'up comprising. aclutch, a clutch shifter for putting the clutch into and out ofoperation for causing the descent and rise of the presser, and controlmeans for the clutch shifter comprising a latch normally holding theshifter operative and therefore'the clutch inoperative, a spring devicepressing the shifter toward inoperative position, a releaser forthrowing the latch having a trip engaging the latch, a spring devicepressing the latch toward latching position, and means actuated by themovement of the presser post for restoring the shifter to operativeposition and for throwing the trip to permit the latch to re-engage theshifter.

3. A press as in claim -1 andwherein the means actuated by the movementof the post comprises contacts moving with the presser, one arranged torestore the shifter back to position, and the other to throw the tripand permit the latch tore-engage the restored shifter.

4. In a control mechanism for power presses of the class having areciprocable post carrying a presser, power means for moving the presserpost down and up comprising a clutch of the type having a shifter whichwhen shifted to inoperative position causes the power to engage anddrive the press and when shifted to operative position causes the clutchto disengage and the press to stop at a definite position with thepresser post raised, means normallypressing the shifter yieldingly intoinoperative position, a latch normally holding the clutch shifter inoperative position, means yieldingly pressing the latch to normalposition, release means operable at will for throwing the latch andthereby engaging the clutch to cause a down and up reciprocation of thepresser post, such release means including a device holding the latch insuch position, and means actuated by such movement of the presser postto restore the shifterto operative position and to cause the device torelease the latch and so permit the latch to relatch the shifter.

v5. In a control mechanism for clicking presses -of the class having areciprocable .post ,carryingza presser, power means for moving the postdownward and upward comprising a clutch, a clutchshifter for putting theclutch into and out of operation for causing the descent and rise of thepresser post, and control means for the clutch shifter comprising alatch normally holding the shifter operative and thereforethe clutchinoperative, a releaser for throwing the latch and having a trip, andmeans actuated by the movement of the postfor restoring the shifter tooperative position and for throwing the trip to permit the latch tore-engage the shifter. I

6. In a control mechanism for power presses a clutch, a shifterthereforhaving a latch shoulder, and a lever system for controlling the shifter,comprisinga swinging latch arm engaging said shoulder, an operating arm,and atrip hook pivoted on one of said arms normally engaging the otherarm, so that said lever system moves as a In testimony whereof, I haveaffixed my 7 signature hereto.

JOHN ROGER OLIVER.

